Why Do Ferrets Randomly Lay Down
Why Do Ferrets Randomly Lay Down? Ferrets are popular pets because they don’t need much maintenance and living space. They are happy, playful creatures that enjoy being as a family pet. However, like any other animal, they can also show some unusual behaviors; they lay down randomly.
Ferrets do certain things that make their new owners wonder that they might have a severe problem. They exhibit some sleep patterns that usually look abnormal, making the owners worried but actually, they are perfectly normal. One of the surprises they can give you is to lay down randomly and pose dead. Otherwise, ferrets make excellent pets, and they love you a lot but are not quite expressive in this regard. But then how will you be able to tell if your ferret loves you? Scroll below to find the answer;
How Do You Tell if your Ferret Loves You?
How do the ferrets express their love for the owner varies from one to the other ferret because they differ in their personalities. They can express the love they have for you through various gestures. When you enter the room, they can run towards you for instant cuddles as soon as they see you. But you must know that not all ferrets like to cuddle; for a ferret to show cuddling behavior, it must first need to develop a bond with you having trust and feel safe with you.
Some ferrets do kiss their owners on their eyes, face, lips, or hands showing how happy they are to see you. So, if your ferret kisses you on the lips, it is definitely showing its love for you. However, kissing can mean that your ferret likes the taste of something you just ate or the flavor of your lip balm.
Well, you can tell what caused your ferret to kiss you based on the circumstances. This particular gesture is the most profound way to show affection, even in ferrets. Do you ferret started kissing you lately? Well, it means you did a great job to develop a strong bond with your ferret. It Might kiss another ferret if it has a mate, or two ferrets.
Another way of ferret showing its love is to follow you wherever you go around the house. It is because they are intelligent pets, and love to play and spy on every activity you do. But I doubt, if your ferret doesn’t love you, it will not bother to follow you.
What Does It Mean When a Ferret Licks You?
Sometimes, your ferret may lick you, and if it does so, it can indicate specific facts like:
- Your ferret may be trying to groom you as it does itself through licking
- It licks because it likes the salty taste that your skin has or the lotion you are wearing on your body
How Do You Tell if Your Ferret is Stressed?
A happy ferret speaks on its roaming around the house with a joyful behavior. However, when your ferret is emotionally upset or stressed out, it also becomes visible through its unusual behaviors. When your ferret is stressed, it usually starts hiding more than usual, does not take an interest in play and hissing, food, or panting.
These little pals can sometimes become very emotional. Yes, it can be something of a surprise for you to know that your ferret can undergo depression. They can become grieved and sad about losing another ferret or even a human. Sad ferrets try to spend a lot of time in those areas of the home where their lost friend use to do.
Why Do Ferrets Dead Sleep?
“Ferret deep sleep” is a normal behavior of these little pets that owners can panic at. It is a term commonly used when your ferret sleeps so soundly that you can consider them dead. You will pick them up, pinching their toes, shaking them, trying to thumb them up on the chest area, and they still hang in your hands with closed eyes.
But as soon as you rush to your car to take your pet ferret to the vet, the ferret would open its eyes, looking innocently into the surroundings to figure out what is happening in the world. Some ferrets can do it most often, while some occasionally do, but every time their owners get panic thinking whether their ferret is in a coma or died.
Why is my Ferret Becoming Lazy?
If your ferret is becoming increasingly lethargic and lazy, it’s time to get worried. If your ferret seems to be so lazy that it is even unable to move its body, you can consider an underlying health issue, and that most probably may be insulinoma. It refers to a sudden severe drop in the blood glucose level of your ferret’s body that can ultimately cause seizures, leading to coma and death.
This is why it is of great importance to have your ferret checked by a qualified veterinarian at least once a year. The veterinarian will look into the overall health status and well being of your ferrets to make a diagnosis if something seems unusual. Ideally, it would be best if you visit a veterinarian every six months. Some other possible reasons that cause an increased amount of laziness and lethargy in your ferrets might be;
- Extreme weather conditions ( too hot or too cold)
- Adrenal disease
- Low blood glucose levels
- Pain medications
- Health issues like Lymphosarcoma and intestinal infections.
Why Won’t my Ferret Sleep or Cuddle with Me?
By nature, Ferrets are hyperactive pets, with lots of energy bursts in them, and usually, they don’t take an interest in cuddling and relaxing with you for an extended time. So, if you are interested in having a cuddly pet, consider older ferrets than younger ones.
It is because an old ferret will have low levels of their inborn energy, and they become quickly settled down for play and cuddle with you.
If you have recently brought a new ferret into your home, don’t worry if it doesn’t play or snuggle with you because as it has recently come to a new environment, it will first explore it fully. You can take several small steps to make your ferret friendly towards you. These may be;
- Bring the ferrets toy to play
- Hold your ferret and pet it.
- Use soft and sound words to your ferret
- Provide treats to your ferrets when they exhibit good behavior
Make sure to give them at least a few months to explore and play around your place and like the environment you have. During that period, you should provide them with the best possible care, food and take care of their needs such as litter box.
With time, they will start to think of you as an entertaining host and get used to handling and playing with you and other ferrets. In short, it takes time, patience, and trust to build a relationship with your ferret so strong that it starts cuddling and sleeping with you.
At What Age Do Ferrets Calm Down?
Ferrets belong to the category of most active pets due to their high levels of energy and activity. Usually, the younger ferrets are hyperactive when they are awake and spend most of their time playing around. But this activity level slows down, and ferrets generally calm down with age. Like humans, they become slow as age progresses. A four years old ferret will have lesser energy than a six months old.
Younger ferrets are generally more curious about things and follow you everywhere to know what you are doing. If you let the ferret come out of the cage, it will definitely run, jump and climb around.
Especially it becomes difficult to keep up with the kits. So you can expect a younger ferret to be extremely active and highly energetic, but at the same time, you can expect it to slow down. Compared to a kit, an older ferret might not have the same energy level and swift movements.
Do Ferrets Hide When They Die?
Ferrets can die for any reason, and most of the time, the illness or the cause is hidden. Their life taking problems can be of hidden liver, kidney, or heart diseases. These cute little ferrets are sensitive, and they may die within a matter of hours. Females can die if they don’t find a companion for breeding purposes. Other possible causes that can result in the death of your pet ferret can be;
- Tumors or cancers
- Blood sugar level issues
- Kidney failure
- Infection of adrenal glands
Now, as you know the possible causes of death in your pet ferrets, you must know what symptoms and variations in normal behavior can occur in ferrets when they are about to die. As a pet owner, signs you might see include lethargy, coughing, weakness, and an increased rate of breathing.
It will help if you take your ferret to the vet immediately after you observe these signs. This is because it is normal behavior among ferrets to hide their symptoms of illness. By the time you come to know that your ferret is ill, it may be too late, so immediately rush to the vet to seek medical attention for your ferret as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Your ferrets lay down randomly because they have long sleeping hours, almost around 18 hours or so, which is quite natural. Like other predators, they conserve their energy with long sleeping hours after a long duration of play. With their busy playful lives in your home or the cage, they can fall asleep at any place of your house, be it your wooden floor, under the bed, or your sleeping bed.
